First of all what does redshirt mean?
Second of all I heard Sam Bradford (QB Of Oklahoma) is a Redshirt Freshman... I thought you can't play if your redshirted? Isn't he playing? I'm not getting this correctly am I?

can you decide not to redshirted any year... and just start as a freshman and go to college for the standard 4 years?
and
can you decide what year you want to sit out... example play 1st year... sit out second year and start again 3rd 4th and 5th year?

A "redshirt" is basically a student athlete who practices with the team, but does not compete interscholastically. Since he does not do so, the year does not count against his four years of eligibility. The people are referring to Bradford as a "redshirt freshman" because he was matriculated at Oklahoma last year, practiced with the team, but did not play in any games. A "true freshman" is of course a freshman who is NOT redshirting, and is instead participating in interscholastic competition right out of high school, the military service, a religious mission, etc....

The following definition is verbatim out of the NCAA handbook:

Redshirt Definition: The term "redshirt" is used to describe a student-athlete who does not participate in competition in a sport for an entire academic year. If you do not compete in a sport the entire academic year, you have not used a season of competition. For example, if you are a qualifier, and you attend a four-year college your freshman year, and you practice but do not compete against outside competition, you would still have the next four years to play four seasons of competition.

Each student is allowed no more than four seasons of competition per sport. If you were not a qualifier, you may have fewer seasons of competition available to you. You should know that NCAA rules indicate that any competition, regardless of time, during a season counts as one of your seasons of competition in that sport. It does not matter how long you were involved in a particular competition (for example, one play in a football game, one point in a volleyball match); you will be charged with one season of competition.

HOPE THAT HELPS! Kes :-)

It means that they did not play the entire season so they can play an extra year. For example if you are a redshirt freshman you can be on the team for five years instead of four but you would only actually play for four years.

I think that means that you spend your actual freshman year taking classes, but u don't play until your 2nd year. This is opposed to a "true" freshman.

This concept confuses me as well

A "Redshirt freshman" is actually in their SECOND year of college. Sam Bradford was a freshman LAST year, but didn't play. He's playing THIS year as a redshirt freshman so he can play four more seasons and therefore, he'll be in school for a total of FIVE years.

To "redshirt" means a player did not play one down in the season...in Sam Bradford's case--he was redshirted last year so he is a redshirt freshman this year.